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2017

AILA is deeply disappointed by Congress’ failure to pass the Dream Act before the December holidays and calls on Congress and the President to grant Dreamers permanent legal status as soon as possible in 2018.

AILA condemned attacks by AG Sessions on the immigration courts and the due process rights of immigrants, stating that “For the AG to blame immigration lawyers for imagined trespasses is both malicious and wrong. We will not let that misinformation pass without setting the record straight.”

AILA strongly opposes the funding bill released on 11/21/17 by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which would dramatically increase spending on immigration enforcement while stripping funds for critical oversight programs.

AILA warned that the decision by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 2,500 Nicaraguan nationals will harm American families, businesses, and communities.

After members of a white supremacist group targeted our building, AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson stated: “AILA and its members will not be deterred or distracted from our work and our mission to stand by America’s immigrants and to advocate for fair and just immigration laws and policies.”

AILA rejected the baseless attacks on America’s asylum system by the attorney general, noting that “Given the humanitarian concerns involved, the tragedy here is that nowhere in the attorney general’s harangue against the system were any useful solutions that would actually make the system better.”

AILA strongly opposes the Trump administration’s plans to impose numeric quotas on immigration judges in order to speed up deportations which threatens the integrity of the immigration court system and the independence of the judicial branch.

AILA condemned the Trump administration’s “Immigration Principles and Priorities” as destructive and unworkable. AILA reaffirms its commitment and support for real bipartisan immigration reform to increase our country’s shared prosperity and restore our legacy as a nation welcoming to immigrants.

AILA released the seventh edition of Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity: A Guide to Representing Foreign-Born Defendants by Mary E. Kramer; the book is a vital resource for any lawyer working with foreign national or naturalized citizen clients who have been charged with a crime.

AILA recognizes the important work done by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), James Lankford (R-OK), and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) with the introduction of the SUCCEED Act which offers protection for young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers but expressed concerns about several of the bill’s provisions.

AILA expressed concerns about the new travel ban, with AILA President Annaluisa Padilla noting the “changes…will add unnecessary steps to our already robust visa screening procedures and ultimately will block or slow the entry of legitimate business, family, and other travelers.”

AILA released the fourth edition of Litigating Immigration Cases in Federal Court by Bob Pauw, which provides expert guidance and a summary of case law for practitioners defending noncitizens who are subject to removal or who have been denied immigration benefits to which they are entitled.

AILA is proud to sponsor the 11th Annual Citizenship Day on Saturday, September 23, 2017; the event, a partnership with the NALEO Educational Fund, brings together AILA attorneys across the country, along with other advocates, to provide assistance as lawful permanent residents seek to naturalize.

In the wake of the announcement by the Trump administration, AILA condemned the cancellation of the DACA initiative and reiterated its support for Dreamers and DACA recipients, calling on Congress to “live up to America’s fundamental principles and stand up for Dreamers.”

AILA condemned reported plans that the Trump Administration will end the DACA program with a six-month enforcement delay and urged President Trump to endorse legislation to protect Dreamers “and ensure a solution is passed before terminating the DACA program.”

AILA welcomed the decision by federal judge Orlando Garcia to enjoin the implementation of several unconstitutional provisions of SB 4, a Texas law targeting immigrant communities which would have taken effect September 1.

AILA proudly releases the 2nd edition of Business Immigration: Law & Practice, authored by business immigration law experts, and offers a “comprehensive treatise on the practice of employment-based immigration law from legal minds who know this issue inside and out.”

AILA opposes yesterday’s introduction of the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act, which does nothing to reform our outdated immigration system yet seeks to curtail legal immigration levels over the next decade.

AILA praised the Dream Act of 2017 and the American Hope Act introduced in the House, both of which “would provide young people, who were brought to this country as children and grew up in the United States, the chance to apply for lawful permanent residence, and eventually apply for citizenship.”

AILA opposes adding funding for a wasteful and unnecessary border wall to the funding package set to be voted on later this week; members of the House plan to add the $1.6 billion in funding to a spending measure covering, among other things, Defense, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs.

AILA welcomes the introduction of the Dream Act of 2017, a bipartisan bill authored by Senators Lindsey Graham and Dick Durbin, that would provide young people who were brought to the U.S. as children a chance to apply for lawful permanent residence if they meet certain requirements.

AILA strongly opposes the funding bill released by the House Appropriations Committee, which would massively increase immigration enforcement and border spending at a time when border apprehensions have plummeted and ICE and CBP funding is already at all-time high levels.

AILA urged lawmakers to oppose two bills slated to be taken up this week by the House of Representatives: the “No Sanctuary for Criminals Act” (H.R. 3003) and “Kate’s Law” (H.R. 3004), noting that the bills “will undermine public safety and erode our nation’s bedrock constitutional principles.”

AILA welcomed U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee’s decision affirming that the federal government is violating the 20-year-old Flores settlement agreement governing the custody and release of all immigrant children nationwide; Judge ordered a Juvenile Coordinator appointed to ensure compliance.

AILA welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision to consider the Trump Administration’s Muslim-focused travel and refugee ban litigation but raised strong concerns of the potential impact of the decision to lift part of the injunction that had prevented the federal government from implementing the ban.

AILA announced that the association’s 2018 Annual Conference will be held in San Francisco, CA, June 13-16, 2018. The conference had been set for Grapevine, TX, but the Board of Governors voted earlier this month to move the event after weighing the potential impact of SB 4.

On June 24, 2017, AILA, in partnership with AILA’s Mid-South Chapter and Catholic Charities of New Orleans, will offer free Know Your Rights presentations and immigration law consultations in New Orleans as part of the seventh Pro Bono Clinic held in conjunction with AILA’s Annual Conference.

AILA and the American Immigration Council are launching the Immigration Justice Campaign, which will prepare more lawyers to be cutting-edge defenders of immigrants facing deportation and aims to significantly change the way the government can and will conduct immigration enforcement.

This week, AILA will recognize the Washington v. Trump Litigation Team: Bob Ferguson, Noah Purcell, and Colleen Melody, with the 2017 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award, for excellence in litigation in the field of immigration law, during AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.

This week, AILA will recognize Suzanne Brown, of St. Louis, MO, with the 2017 Sam Williamson Mentor Award in acknowledgment of her outstanding efforts and excellent counsel to immigration attorneys by providing mentoring assistance.

This week, AILA will recognize Crystal Williams of Morrisville, NC, with the 2017 Susan D. Quarles AILA Service Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding service, over a period of years, in advancing the mission, development, and value of AILA for its members and the public it serves.

AILA will recognize Ben Winograd, of Alexandria, VA, with the 2017 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award for his outstanding contributions made as a young lawyer in the field of immigration and nationality law. He will receive the award this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.

AILA will present talk show host Leslie Marshall with the 2017 Media Leadership Award, given to the individual whose efforts in the media most accurately depict immigration and immigrants, this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.

AILA will recognize Ava Benach of Washington, D.C., with the 2017 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.

AILA will recognize the “Airport Lawyers” with the 2017 Arthur C. Helton Human Rights Award for outstanding service in advancing the cause of human rights this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.

AILA will recognize Benjamin Casper Sanchez, of the University of Minnesota Law School, with the 2017 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award, recognizing an outstanding professor in the area of immigration law, during AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.

AILA will recognize Sarah Weston Hayes Owings, of Atlanta, GA, and Ruby Lichte Powers, of Houston, TX, with the 2017 Advocacy Award for outstanding efforts in support of AILA’s legislative agenda during AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.

The AILA Board of Governors voted to move the 2018 Annual Conference from Texas to another state in response to SB 4. AILA President Bill Stock noted, “SB 4 serves no legitimate purpose and undermines our country’s principles of fairness, due process, and equal treatment under the law.”

AILA and the American Immigration Council have petitioned DHS and DOS to issue new regulations that will ensure all immigrants have access to legal counsel in secondary and deferred inspection, as well as at overseas consular interviews.

AILA opposes the Trump administration’s newly released FY2018 budget request, which would fund massive increases in immigration enforcement and border security and undermine due process in immigration law.

AILA, CHRCL, and NIP/NLG are delighted to announce Rebecca Schueller is the Michael Maggio Immigrants' Rights Summer Fellow for 2017; Ms. Schueller will create a pilot program to provide legal assistance to detainees held at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown, OH.

AILA welcomed the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals through January 22, 2018, but is disappointed that the Department of Homeland Security opted for a short extension given the overwhelming evidence that many of the conditions in Haiti that prompted TPS persist.

AILA is proud to release the 2017 editions of the Immigration & Nationality Act (INA) and the Immigration Regulations (CFR). AILA President Bill Stock noted, “Both of these references form the cornerstone of U.S. immigration law and no practice is complete without them.”

AILA President Bill Stock urges the House Judiciary Committee to move away from cruel, costly, and ineffective “enforcement-only” immigration reform that completely misses the mark “on the kind of reform our country needs in order to build a 21st century immigration system that benefits us all.”

AILA President Bill Stock noted, “Any reforms proposed by the Trump Administration as a result of this Executive Order should be based on facts and data, not innuendo and anecdote, and must ensure that our immigration system, including the H-1B program, remain viable tools for U.S. businesses.”

AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson responded to the USCIS announcement that the H-1B cap had been surpassed within the first five business days of the FY 2018 filing period noting, “Each year that we limit these visas with an artificial cap, we stifle economic growth and all of us lose out.”

AILA welcomed the issuance of two temporary restraining orders halting implementation of key parts of President Trump’s revised Executive Order, issued March 6, 2017, which would temporarily ban Muslims and refugees from travel and admission to the United States.

AILA partnered with CAP and NILC on a new interactive resource which calculates the amount of funding in sanctuary jurisdictions in 32 states that could be targeted by President Trump’s January 25 executive order.

AILA denounced President Trump’s rewritten Executive Order, effective March 16, 2017, which is again based on the false premise that barring Muslims and refugees from coming to America will make the country safer.

CLINIC and AILA share details about their freely available state-by-state guide to the laws governing the unauthorized practice of immigration law and how legal service providers can protect their clients and recover damages.

AILA condemned the recently released DHS memos that set forth a series of aggressive enforcement tactics to be rolled out on a massive scale. These policies, if implemented as written, will trample due process.

AILA welcomed the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling to keep in place the temporary restraining order barring implementation of President Trump’s Executive Order banning Muslims and refugees from entering the United States.

AILA and other immigrant and civil rights groups called on the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the DHS Office of the Inspector General to investigate reports that asylum seekers were denied entry despite having asserted a fear of returning to their home countries.